Cutter for forage harvesters



Feb. 16, 1954 J. HINSON 2,669,083

CUTTER FOR FORAGE HARVESTERS Filed Oct. 23, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 16, 1954 CUTTER FOR FORAGE HARVESTERS' James L,, Hinson, Winfield, Kans., assignor of twenty-five; per cent to Frank 3.. Webb, Arkansas City Kans.

Application October-23, 1951 Serial; No. 252,689

Claims. (01. iii-2.84)

This inventi n relates. to. for ge.- harvesters and more particularly to tr machine for oomx-f minutiae standing forage. storing and. transa porting the. comminuted forage and discharging the stored; forage at selected times.v

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved forage harvester which will simultaneously cutand chop up or. triturate: reen. standing iorage'. such as alfalfa! and will store the: forage as it. is out and. chopped and discharge it at periodic intervals. under control of the operator of the harvester; which utilizes a reel typ cutter element disposed at the. fro of the; harvester and efieotive to move the. 1.1 1.- out torase into he cutter,, cut and; ch p up the er se and throw the chopped up or t iturated f r e back intoa. storage compartment constitotin a portion. of the harvester; which has a power operated live bottom. ill..- the. storage comrpertinent. for discharg ng the stored; fora e th r fr m; whi h has an auxiliary frame hive. otal-ly mounted intermediate its length; on the main frame of the. machine: and. carrying the cutter at one end and a harvester driving n gine at its other end, so that the weight of the cutter is. counterbalanced: by the weight of; the engine and the: cutter can; float up and down as it moves over the ground; and whioh is simple and durable in construction. economical to manufacture, and positive and efficient in oporation.

Other ohiects and advantages will; become apparent from a consideration of the following. do serintiou and the appended. claims in coniuno-. tion with the accolnpanyluigv drawings wherein:

Figure l is a. front. elevational view of a lore h rv r ill strative of the. invention:

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on the line. 2-2 of Figure. 1:

Figure 3 is a top plan view at the harvester with portions broken away and shown in ross section. to better illustrate the construction thereof;

Figure 4. is an enlarged side elevational view oi steerable rear wheels 11.. An auxiliary frame It is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on the. main frame to: intermediate the length oi? the main frame and is disposed somewhat above. the main frame. The. pivotal connection between the auxiliary frame and the main frame is provided.v by the. apertured ears or lugs H on the auxiliary frame, one at eaehv side thereof, and the pivot pins I5 extending through the apertures in the lugs i l andv secured to upri ht standards it disposedv onev at each side of the main frame and constituting elements of. the latter. The auxiliary irame has a tapered portion. inclined downwardly and forwardly from the front. end. oi the. main trainee as; indicated at ll, and a. reel type cutter, generally indicated at Hi and illustrated. in. detail. in Figures 4,, 5 and 6.. is iournaled on the. auxiliary frame at the front end thereon. A harvester driving; en.- eine. I8 is: mounted on the auxiliary fr me at or near therear end of the latter and. counterhal ancesthe cutter (8;. so that the cuttercan easily float up and; down as. it moves over the ground.

A gear unit. 2.0 is mounted on the auxiliary irame. below the engine 19 and the engine is drivingly coimeeted to this g ar. unit and through the gear unit 28 and a transmission unit 2!. to the drive; wheels H. of. the harvester.

A curved or rounded. housing 2.2. is mounted on the main. frame it of the harvester and pro rides a storage compartment 23. the front end or which is disposed adjacent the reel type out-- ten 18.. The cutter is nartially euolosed in an auxiliary housing having end. walls and transversely curved upper and lower portions 24 and 52 This housing is open at its front and rear sides and a. duct 26 is sooured to the housing in surrounding relationship to the opening in. the rear side thereof and. projects upwardly and rearwardly from the cutterhousing, A rounded shield, 21'! extends upwardly and rearwardly from the upper and or. the duct 26 and closes the open front. and ot the. housing- 2.2, The upper end of this curved shield is disposed within the upper por ion of the housing and the overlapping portions or the housing and shield are curved on arcs centered on the nivotal oonneotion between the. auxiliary frame it and the main frame it, so that the shieid can move freely relative to the housing as the auxiliary frame pitches relative to the main frame. 7

A live bottom 30. is provided in. the housin 22 and comprises a bottom plate 34, rollers 3| and 32 extendin transversely of the housing, one. at each end of said bottom plate, a frame mounted on the standard It and on standards 33 projecting upwardly from the main frame and supporting the rollers 3| and 32 for rotation about their longitudinal center lines as axes, link chains as indicated at 38, trained over chain sprockets secured one on each end of each roller and slats 35 extend between and are connected at their ends to these chains. An adjustable length drive shaft 31' is connected at one end to the gear unit and extends from this gear unit to a gear unit 38 mounted on the live bottom frame and drivingly connected to one end of the upper roller 32 for driving the live bottom from the harvester engine I9.

Manual control means including a link 39 exmaterial from the storage compartment 23 at times selected by the operator of the harvester. 1 A hinged flap ti] is connected at its front end to the rear edge of the housing 22 by a suitable hinge ii and extends over the rear, open portion of the housing. This flap is raised by the pressure of stored forage material thereunder when the live bottom is put in motion, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, so that the stored forage can be discharged from the storage compartment over the rear, upper roller 32 into a truck or wagon placed beneath the rear end of the live bottom 38 of the storage compartment.

A platform frame 42 is mounted on the main frame It of the harvester and extends forwardly of the front shield 2'1. on the frame 42 ahead of the shield El and carries a drivers or operators seat M, a steering Wheel 45, suitable control levers and pedals, as indicated at M and ll, and a guardrail or dash 48 at the front edge thereof. is connected to the rear steering wheels i2 by suitable means, not illustrated, and the control levers and pedals are connected to the engine and to the gear or transmission units by suitable connecting means, illustration of which has been omitted in order to simplify the illustration.

The reel type cutter It has a rigid frame journaled at its ends on the auxiliary frame I! of the harvester and cutting elements in the form of flexible strands stretched on the frame in spaced w.

and substantially parallel relationship to the rotational axis of the cutter and at respectively opposite sides of the rotational axis. This cutter reel, when driven at high speeds, pulls the standing forage downwardly and into the cutter and chops the forage into short pieces and then throws the pieces rearvvardly through the rear opening in the cutter housing and the duct 26 into the storage compartment 23 where they are supported on the live bottom 35. I When the harvester has been operated until the storage compartment is substantially filled with cut and chopped up forage, the machine is stopped, a suitable wagon or truck is moved under the rear upper end of the live bottom 30, and the live bottom is then placed in operation to discharge the material in the storage compartment over the rear roller 32 of the live bottom and into the truck or wagon. After the material has been discharged from the storage compartment, the operation of the live bottom is discontinued and the harvester again placed in operation to refill the storage compartment.

' -Referring particularly to Figures 4, 5 and 6, the cutter I 8 comprises a tubular central member A platform :23 is mounted The steering wheel to the plates 55 and 5t.

50 having external ribs 5i extending longitudinally thereof at substantially equal angular intervals therearound. In the arrangement illustrated, the central member is formed in two substantially equal parts joined together in end to end relationship by the external flanges 52 and flange bolts 53 located substantially at the midlength location of the member.

Spoke structures, as particularly illustrated in Figure 5, are mounted on the central member 5| near each end thereof and includes fiat spokes 54 projecting radially from the central member at angular intervals of degrees therearound and flat plates 55 and 58 supported by the spokes at respectively opposite sides of the central member and disposed in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other.

Flat bars 51 and 58 are secured intermediate their lengths to the plates 55 and 56 at the outer sides of the latter and extend beyond the ends of the plates. The bars 51 and 58 converge beyond the opposite ends of the plates and are substantially coterminous, being so arranged that a plane perpendicular thereto and passing through their mid-length locations also passes through the longitudinal center line or axis of the central member 553. Grooved rollers 60 and iii are disposed between the bars 5? and 58 at the opposite ends of these bars and are journaled on the bars by suitable means, such as the pivot bolts 62 and 53 extending through registering apertures in the bars the rollers.

A similar spoke structure including flat plates, one of which is indicated at 64, and flat bars, one of which is indicated at 65, is mounted on the central member 50 near the other end of the latter and the bars of this other structure carry grooved rollers 66 and 61 journaled on the bars by the pivot bolts 68 and 69.

Additional bars 10 and H are disposed at respectively opposite sides of the central member 58 adjacent the bars 51 and 58 and are disposed in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other and in parallel relationship These additional bars in and H are shorter than the bars 57! and 58, and grooved rollers '52 and 13 are disposed between the bars Hi and ll at the opposite ends of these bars and are journaled on the bars by pivot bolts 74 and 15 extending through registering apertures in the bars 70 and il and the rollers 12 and 13. The rollers 72 and 13 are disposed inwardly of the rollers 60 and El and the arrangement is such that all of the rollers including the rollers 55 and 61 are disposed in a common plane which passes through the longitudinal center line or axis of the central member 55.

Ratchet Wheels 16 and H are journaled on the central member 53 adjacent the bars 51 and 58 at respectively opposite sides of the central member and cable spools SB and it are carried by the ratchet wheels i5 and ill respectively,-centrally thereof and projecting outwardly from the sides of the ratchet wheels remote from the central member. Ratchet dogs 89 and Si are pivotally mounted on the central member and urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel '56 by tension springs 32 and 83 respectively, and similar ratchet dogs 84 and 65 are pivotally mounted on the central member and urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel H by the tension springs 35 and 81 respectively. At their ends remote from the corresponding ratchet wheels the spools l8 and T9 are provided with polygonal formations-88 and 89 respectively, for theapplication of'a suitabletool essential characteristics thereof.

such as a wrench, to rotate the ratchet wheels and stud bolts 90 and 9| extend into bores in the spools from the outer ends of the polygonal formations and are threaded into tapped holes in the ends of an arbor, not illustrated, which extends transversely through the central member 50 and on which the ratchet wheels are journaled.

Flexible strands, 92 and 93, formed of lengths of suitable material, such as wire or wire cable, are secured each at one end to the central member adjacent the inner edges of the bars of the structure including the bar 65 and are carried over the grooved rollers 66 and B1 and over the grooved rollers 69 and 6|, so that they extend between the outer ends of the cable carrying structures, generally indicated at 94 and 95, spaced from and substantially parallel to the central member 50. These strands 92 and 93 are carried under the grooved rollers 12 and 13 respectively, and at their other ends they are wound on the spools I8 and 19, so that tension can be applied thereto by rotating the corresponding spools and ratchet wheels. The spring pressed pawls engaging the ratchet wheels will hold the cables under tension between the cable supporting structures.

Stub axles 94 and 95 are secured one in each end of the central member 59 and project from the central member. These stub axles are journaled in bearings 96 and 91 carried by the auxiliary frame I3 at the front end of the latter and at the respectively opposite ends of the cutter element. A belt pulley 9B is secured on the stub axle 94 outwardly of the adjacent auxiliary frame member and a suitable belt, enclosed in a guard 99 connects the belt pulley 98 to a belt pulley on a shaft I09 projecting outwardly from the engine driven gear unit 20 to drive the cutter element.

As explained above, the cutter element, when driven by the engine I9, chops the standing forage into short lengths and throws the pieces of forage rearwardly onto the live bottom structure 30 where they are stored until the storage compartment 23 is substantially filled and from which they are discharged by driving the live bottom under manual control. I

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. the

means at its ends, strand supporting structures mounted on said central member one at each end thereof and extending perpendicularly to said central member substantially equal distances to opposite sides of the latter, grooved rollers carried by said strand supporting structures one at each end of each structure, ratchet devices mounted on said central member between said strand supporting structures, and flexible strands secured one at each end to said central member and carried over said grooved rollers and connected at theirother ends to said ratchet devices, said strands being disposed at respectively opposite sides of said central member in spaced and substantially parallel relationship thereto and substantially in a plane including the longitudinal center line of said central member.

2. A cutter for a forage harvester comprising a tubular central member, means providing bearing arbors one at each end of said central member for supporting said cutter for rotation about the longitudinal center line of said central member as an axis, strand supporting structures mounted on said central member one near each end of the latter and disposed substantially perpendicular thereto, flexible strands carried by said strand supporting structures and disposed substantially parallel to said central member at substantially equal distances therefrom and at substantially equal angular intervals therearound, and manually adjustable means mounted on said central member and connected to said strands for tensioning said strands.

-- JAMES L. HINSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 865,161 Coldwell Sept. 3, 1907 2,164,467 Mulno July 4, 1939 2,228,512 Fish Jan. 14, 1941 2,630,668 McDermott Mar. 10, 1953 

